A Day In The Life of Artemis Crock
by fangs.number1.fangirl
Summary: AU where Artemis is a cashier at a fast-food restaurant and Wally West is her least favorite customer.


**Notes: This was inspired by my crappy job, which I really do love so much. It's a one-shot, but I might possibly add more chapters to it in the near future, maybe. Don't count on it, but maybe.**

Artemis _loved _her job.

She loved her ugly orange uniform and she loved her stoner coworkers and she loved her skeezy boss. She loved the constant smell of grease and oil, and she loved the impatient customers. The angry, unsatisfied ones were her favorite, because they always chose _her_ to get mad at instead of the three other available cashiers, who were much more to blame than she was.

No really, she loved her job.

But most of all, she loved the tall, green-eyed red-haired boy that always came in when she was working and ordered a Chicken Whizee. He seemed to know her work schedule by heart. She knew him from school – his name was Wally, Wally West, and he was the most annoying, most arrogant, most insufferable boy she'd ever met. He was captain of the cross-country team and best friends with Dick Grayson, who was another person Artemis just loved so much. Sometimes the two of them came in together and went straight for Artemis's register. Sometimes Dick brought his girlfriend with him, tucked under his arm. Artemis didn't mind her much; Zatanna seemed nice enough, anyway. She had the same teasing, sardonic smile that Artemis wore all too often.

But today, it was just Wally who came up to her register.

He sauntered in, his red hair windblown from running, that all-too-familiar grin on his face that made Artemis roll her eyes. He was such a douchebag. He wore his track jacket, as usual. Artemis didn't think he ever took it off. He probably slept in it.

He came right up to her register and leaned his elbows on the counter, looking up at her from underneath long eyelashes.

"Hey, beautiful." He winked at her, and she rolled her eyes again.

Artemis looked around to make sure her boss wasn't watching and then snapped, "What do you want?"

"Well, I _really _want your number," he said, digging money out of the back pocket of his jeans. "But for now, I'll take a Chicken Whizee. With large fries and a large Coke."

Wally ate like a pig. He ordered the same exact thing every time he came in here – which was once a week, if not more – but somehow, he still managed to have a perfect physique. Artemis knew it was because he ran track almost every day, and he had a fast metabolism, but still. She hated him for it. She had to work hard for her toned abs. All he had to do was run.

"For here or to go?" she asked, none too politely.

"For here," Wally said. She keyed his order into the machine, smashing each key on the keyboard as if the buttons personally offended her.

"That'll be $5.27."

He handed her a crumpled ten-dollar bill. Artemis tried not to let her fingers brush his when she took the money, but they did anyway. She ignored the tingle that went through her skin.

"When do you get off?" Wally asked, his green eyes glinting. He asked her the same question every time he came into the restaurant, and Artemis always gave him the same answer.

"Never." She shoved his change into his hand and smirked at him.

He flashed her a grin, and Artemis tried very hard to ignore the way her heart sped up just a tiny bit.

"Funny. Hey Bobby, when does Artemis get off?" Wally nodded his head towards Bobby, the pervy manager who had just come around the corner. Wally was his best customer, so they were on a first-name basis. It annoyed the hell out of Artemis.

Bobby checked his watch. "Half an hour."

Artemis shot her boss a glare when his back was turned and flipped him the middle finger. Wally grinned.

"Perfect," he said. "I'll wait."

Artemis flipped him off, too.

Wally chose a seat close to the registers and sat so that he was facing Artemis. She ignored him for the next thirty minutes, focusing her attention on how much she truly loved her job and how happy she was to be here. She sighed internally to herself. The only reason she was working here was so that she could help her mother put food on the table. Chicken Joe's wasn't her first choice, but it was the only place that would hire an inexperienced sixteen-year-old for minimum wage.

Artemis longed for the day when she wouldn't have to deal with a pervert for a manager and fat, sweaty customers.

She wanted to be CEO of her own company one day. She'd applied for an internship at Queen Enterprises over the summer, and she was riding on the hope that she would get accepted. Working alongside Oliver Queen was her dream.

Artemis floated in her daydreams for the last half hour of her shift, and when she was finally finished, Wally was waiting for her, as promised. The only time he'd left his seat was to throw out his trash and return his tray, but then he'd sat right back down again.

When her shift was over, Artemis punched out in the time clock and took off her ugly orange visor. She unpinned her nametag from her shirt and went into the back to retrieve her bag from her locker. She left the restaurant through the back entrance so she could avoid Wally.

But when she rounded the corner outside, he was leaning against the brick wall.

"Go away." She didn't stop walking and refused to look at him, but he followed her anyway, running to catch up with her.

"Come on, babe. Don't be like that. Can't we just hang out?" He put his arm around her shoulders, and Artemis shrugged him off.

"No," she said. "I have things to do. And don't you have other girls you can make out with?"

Wally shrugged, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Yeah, but you're the only one I _want _to make out with."

"You're disgusting."

"Don't pretend you don't love it, gorgeous."

When she didn't say anything, Wally stepped in front of her path. Artemis glared at him and tried to go around him, but he moved his foot in her way.

"Why won't you go out with me?" he asked, his eyes pleading now. "I ask you every time I come to see you at work, and you always say no."

"Because I hate you," she snapped.

"Yeah, but _why? _What did I do?" He moved out of her way but kept pace beside her, matching his footsteps with hers.

"You're just annoying," Artemis said, crossing her arms over her chest. It was a lame excuse, but it was all she had.

Wally sighed. "Okay. How about this. You go on one date with me." He held up his pointer finger and added, "Just one!" before she could protest. "And if you hate it, fine. You never have to see me or speak to me again. I'll go to the other Chicken Joe's on Canary Street."

Artemis considered this silently for a few seconds.

"But if you like it," he continued, a smile stretching across his face, "and you will. Then you go on another one. And another one. And another one. And we'll live happily ever after."

Artemis rolled her eyes and pretended to think for a few more seconds, watching the way he bit his lip nervously and shoved his hands in his pockets. And damn it if she didn't think it was adorable.

She sighed. "Fine. Geek."

The way Wally's face lit up made her feel all warm and fuzzy, and she pushed the feeling down before it could get any bigger.

"Really?" He grinned, eyes wide, and Artemis nodded.

"Just one date," she said. "But I'm telling you I'm gonna hate it."

"Whatever you say, babe." He winked at her and swooped in to kiss her on the cheek before she could stop him. The next thing she knew, he was running away from her, in the opposite direction of where she was walking. Artemis stopped on the sidewalk and watched him leave, shaking her head in amazement.

"I'll pick you up at seven!" He shouted, and she rolled her eyes.

"You'd better not be late," she called after him. He threw a thumbs-up over his shoulder as he ran away.

When Artemis turned and headed towards home again, there was a smile on her face.


End file.
